diff --git a/consumer.go b/consumer.go
index dd1d3658a..b2039e9c0 100644
--- a/consumer.go
+++ b/consumer.go
@@ -861,7 +861,7 @@ func (c *consumer) newBrokerConsumer(broker *Broker) *brokerConsumer {
 		broker:           broker,
 		input:            make(chan *partitionConsumer),
 		newSubscriptions: make(chan []*partitionConsumer),
-		wait:             make(chan none),
+		wait:             make(chan none, 1),
 		subscriptions:    make(map[*partitionConsumer]none),
 		refs:             0,
 	}
@@ -878,36 +878,54 @@ func (c *consumer) newBrokerConsumer(broker *Broker) *brokerConsumer {
 // it nil if no new subscriptions are available. We also write to `wait` only when new subscriptions is available,
 // so the main goroutine can block waiting for work if it has none.
 func (bc *brokerConsumer) subscriptionManager() {
-	var buffer []*partitionConsumer
+	var partitionConsumers []*partitionConsumer
 
 	for {
-		if len(buffer) > 0 {
-			select {
-			case event, ok := <-bc.input:
-				if !ok {
-					goto done
-				}
-				buffer = append(buffer, event)
-			case bc.newSubscriptions <- buffer:
-				buffer = nil
-			case bc.wait <- none{}:
+		// check for any partition consumer asking to subscribe if there aren't
+		// any, trigger the network request by sending "nil" to the
+		// newSubscriptions channel
+		select {
+		case pc, ok := <-bc.input:
+			if !ok {
+				goto done
 			}
-		} else {
-			select {
-			case event, ok := <-bc.input:
-				if !ok {
-					goto done
+
+			// add to list of subscribing consumers
+			partitionConsumers = append(partitionConsumers, pc)
+
+			// wait up to 250ms to drain input of any further incoming
+			// subscriptions
+			for batchComplete := false; !batchComplete; {
+				select {
+				case pc, ok := <-bc.input:
+					if !ok {
+						goto done
+					}
+
+					partitionConsumers = append(partitionConsumers, pc)
+				case <-time.After(250 * time.Millisecond):
+					batchComplete = true
 				}
-				buffer = append(buffer, event)
-			case bc.newSubscriptions <- nil:
 			}
+
+			Logger.Printf(
+				"consumer/broker/%d accumulated %d new subscriptions\n",
+				bc.broker.ID(), len(partitionConsumers))
+
+			bc.wait <- none{}
+			bc.newSubscriptions <- partitionConsumers
+
+			// clear out the batch
+			partitionConsumers = nil
+
+		case bc.newSubscriptions <- nil:
 		}
 	}
 
 done:
 	close(bc.wait)
-	if len(buffer) > 0 {
-		bc.newSubscriptions <- buffer
+	if len(partitionConsumers) > 0 {
+		bc.newSubscriptions <- partitionConsumers
 	}
 	close(bc.newSubscriptions)
 }